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Red Ink
When her mother is knocked down and killed by a London bus, fifteen-year-old Melon Fouraki is left with no family worth mentioning. Her mother, Maria, never did introduce Melon to a 'living, breathing' father. The indomitable Auntie Aphrodite, meanwhile, is hundreds of miles away on a farm in Crete, and is unlikely to be jumping on a plane and coming to East Finchley anytime soon. But at least Melon has 'The Story'. 'The Story' is the Fourakis family fairytale. A story is something. RED INK is a powerful coming-of-age tale about superstition, denial and family myth.
303 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 24, 2015
The really short explanation of why I liked this book is; I believed Melon. A lot if the time when I read books about people in dealing with death I sympathise with the character, sometimes I’ll shed a tear, but I don’t believe in them.
Melon reminded me so much of myself at times it made uncomfortable reading. People treading on eggshells, Melon feeling guilty for not being upset enough ALL of the time… yeah it put me right back there. Red Ink actually made therapeutic reading in that sense.
Excluding my personal circumstances the book is well written, I liked how you got to see different events during Melon’s childhood. Despite her absence you really get a feel for Melon’s mother and their relationship. I didn’t like the epilogue, in my opinion I think the book would have been fine without it.
Red Ink has a great protagonist and a mystery for her to unravel, who she is.
Melon reminded me so much of myself at times it made uncomfortable reading. People treading on eggshells, Melon feeling guilty for not being upset enough ALL of the time… yeah it put me right back there. Red Ink actually made therapeutic reading in that sense.
Excluding my personal circumstances the book is well written, I liked how you got to see different events during Melon’s childhood. Despite her absence you really get a feel for Melon’s mother and their relationship. I didn’t like the epilogue, in my opinion I think the book would have been fine without it.
Red Ink has a great protagonist and a mystery for her to unravel, who she is.
January 27, 2015
Red ink is a brilliant coming of age story which I enjoyed thoroughly
At the start of the book you meet Melon. Melon is 15 and has just lost her mother, the only real family she has, and has found herself alone in the world. The story follows her as she starts to find out more about her past and where she comes from.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the way in which the story was told. It flips between present day and then flashes back to different points in Melon's past so you can learn more about where she has come from. I really enjoyed this method of story telling and loved digging around and finding out more about the main character.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that Melon herself is brilliantly funny. She has a brilliant sense of humour and refuses to let the fact that her mother has died get in the way of this to the point where it makes other people around her a bit uncomfortable leaving them not quite sure what to say. I thought this awkwardness of knowing how to treat someone after such a tragic loss was brilliantly realistic.
Another part of the book is the story that Melon has been told about her past and her family since she was a little girl. I wasn't quite sure how it all fit into the book as a novel at first but loved seeing how it developed and added to the book as a whole by the end.
The book itself was engaging throughout and kept me completely fascinated the more I found out about Melon and her recent past often alongside her. I thought the way in which these revelations were revealed was done really cleverly and I enjoyed piecing together the jigsaw as I went along.
All in all a brilliant coming of age story with a brilliant protagonist who you wanted to get behind and root for from page one. Well worth a read.
At the start of the book you meet Melon. Melon is 15 and has just lost her mother, the only real family she has, and has found herself alone in the world. The story follows her as she starts to find out more about her past and where she comes from.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the way in which the story was told. It flips between present day and then flashes back to different points in Melon's past so you can learn more about where she has come from. I really enjoyed this method of story telling and loved digging around and finding out more about the main character.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that Melon herself is brilliantly funny. She has a brilliant sense of humour and refuses to let the fact that her mother has died get in the way of this to the point where it makes other people around her a bit uncomfortable leaving them not quite sure what to say. I thought this awkwardness of knowing how to treat someone after such a tragic loss was brilliantly realistic.
Another part of the book is the story that Melon has been told about her past and her family since she was a little girl. I wasn't quite sure how it all fit into the book as a novel at first but loved seeing how it developed and added to the book as a whole by the end.
The book itself was engaging throughout and kept me completely fascinated the more I found out about Melon and her recent past often alongside her. I thought the way in which these revelations were revealed was done really cleverly and I enjoyed piecing together the jigsaw as I went along.
All in all a brilliant coming of age story with a brilliant protagonist who you wanted to get behind and root for from page one. Well worth a read.
December 24, 2015
An interesting and in some sections, haunting YA novel.
There are some lovely descriptions of Greece and some interesting insights into Greek family culture.
The main character can come across as quite selfish and aggressive in parts, and the way she treats her Mother before she dies is very sad.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would but wasn't a fan of the ending. I won't give it away but I felt disappointed for the main character and what had befallen her. It was portrayed as being positive but I feel it just set her up to follow in her Mothers footsteps. Maybe this was the point, I don't know...
There are some lovely descriptions of Greece and some interesting insights into Greek family culture.
The main character can come across as quite selfish and aggressive in parts, and the way she treats her Mother before she dies is very sad.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would but wasn't a fan of the ending. I won't give it away but I felt disappointed for the main character and what had befallen her. It was portrayed as being positive but I feel it just set her up to follow in her Mothers footsteps. Maybe this was the point, I don't know...
December 29, 2014
Here's a link to my blog for more reviews !!!
I picked up a copy of Red Ink by Julie Mayhew in the library after it was recommended to me by a friend. This isn’t a very high profile book, it was sent to my friend, who also writes a book blog, by Hot Key books , and she couldn’t give it more praise. And after reading it neither could I. I didn’t know what I was getting into with Red Ink, and I could not expect the effect it would have on me. It is without a doubt the best contemporary YA novel I have ever read.
The novel follows Melon, a fourteen/ fifteen year old girl in the time leading up to and after her mother’s sudden and unexpected death. The novel is definitely a coming of age story, and Melon under gos some of the best character development I’ve ever read in a YA contemporary novel. Melon begins the novel as a child, and by the time it ends she is a young woman. Melon develops and grows so much over the course of the novel, and it seems very intimate to see her become a strong, independent, wise, young woman. I identified quite a bit with Melon. Although she was younger then, we have the same dark, cynical sense of humour and the same insecurities. She is without a doubt one of my favourite characters , jot because she reminds me of myself, but because she is so real. She isn't one of those martyred YA heroines, who is perfect except for their insecurities about their height or weight, who is actually so pretty when some boy tells her to take her glasses off. Melon is strong and flawed, and I am so full of admiration for her resilience but also her reliance. Melon felt like if she were real, we would be best friends, and what more could you want in a protagonist.
There are a few very interesting relationships in this novel, the first being Melon’s relationship with her best friend Chuck. In a nutshell, Melon’s mother doesn’t approve of her relationship, and Melon can’t really figure out why, but it becomes apparent before long. An even more interesting relationship is that of Melon and her mother’s boyfriend Paul. Everyone is surprised by this particular relationship, the social workers are suspicious and even Melon doesn’t understand it. But Melon and Paul are family, even if they are an odd sort of family, and through them Mayhew effectively conveys the idea that family comes in all shapes and sizes.
The central theme in this book is loss of innocence and the idea that both Melon and her mother Maria grow up too quickly. It was quite difficult to watch Melon’s childhood be taken away from her because of her mother’s death, and the same goes for her mother when she falls pregnant with Melon at the age of fourteen. The novel also, obviously enough, deals with the theme of death and how we come to terms with the death of a loved one. This is one of the most accurate depictions of grief and loss I’ve ever read, and I felt a deep sense of sympathy with Melon as she struggles to come to terms with her mothers death.
The story has an intentional and very effective fairytale quality which I absolutely loved. The narrative is punctuated by the story ( The Story ) Maria tells Melon, about her childhood in Greece, Melon’s father and how Maria came to London. The story is told in third person and narrated like a fairytale, which gave it a mysterious quality which greatly contrasted with the gritty realism of the rest of the novel. Through this “fairy tale”, Mayhew deals with the idea of truth, and how we bend and manipulate it in order to protect our loved ones, ( I hope that’s not a spoiler).
Red Ink also deals with the highly controversial and current topic of body image. It is safe to say that Melon, like most teenage girls, does not have a positive body image. She constantly compares herself to her mother and her peers, something we are told not to do, but we do it anyway. One of the best extracts of prose I have ever read about this topic was in this novel. It was when Melon ( and Mayhew of course ) finally put into words what I had felt all through my teen years. We know it is unhealthy to pick out flaws in ourselves, and unkind to do do in others. But we can’t help ourselves and sometimes the only way to feel better about our flat chest or big thighs is to pick out and criticise someone elses frizzy hair or muffin top. It’s not good, but it is a part of the teenage mindset, and I feel Mayhew really hit the nail on the head in this paragraph. (It’s p.169 if you have the same copy as me.)
I have a few tiny problems to pedantically complain about for a second. The novel is very slow to begin with, and it didn’t hold my attention to begin with. It took me a good few tries to settle into it. Similarly, the plot is told in a non linear fashion, flashing backward and forward around the death of Melon’s mother. I found that this made it very difficult to follow the plot, especially because Melon’s character changes so much over the course of the story that it sometimes felt that there were two different characters narrating.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking read and I highly recommend it to lovers of YA contemporary books. You will not regret reading this!!
Five Stars *****
Here's a link to my blog for more reviews !!!
I picked up a copy of Red Ink by Julie Mayhew in the library after it was recommended to me by a friend. This isn’t a very high profile book, it was sent to my friend, who also writes a book blog, by Hot Key books , and she couldn’t give it more praise. And after reading it neither could I. I didn’t know what I was getting into with Red Ink, and I could not expect the effect it would have on me. It is without a doubt the best contemporary YA novel I have ever read.
The novel follows Melon, a fourteen/ fifteen year old girl in the time leading up to and after her mother’s sudden and unexpected death. The novel is definitely a coming of age story, and Melon under gos some of the best character development I’ve ever read in a YA contemporary novel. Melon begins the novel as a child, and by the time it ends she is a young woman. Melon develops and grows so much over the course of the novel, and it seems very intimate to see her become a strong, independent, wise, young woman. I identified quite a bit with Melon. Although she was younger then, we have the same dark, cynical sense of humour and the same insecurities. She is without a doubt one of my favourite characters , jot because she reminds me of myself, but because she is so real. She isn't one of those martyred YA heroines, who is perfect except for their insecurities about their height or weight, who is actually so pretty when some boy tells her to take her glasses off. Melon is strong and flawed, and I am so full of admiration for her resilience but also her reliance. Melon felt like if she were real, we would be best friends, and what more could you want in a protagonist.
There are a few very interesting relationships in this novel, the first being Melon’s relationship with her best friend Chuck. In a nutshell, Melon’s mother doesn’t approve of her relationship, and Melon can’t really figure out why, but it becomes apparent before long. An even more interesting relationship is that of Melon and her mother’s boyfriend Paul. Everyone is surprised by this particular relationship, the social workers are suspicious and even Melon doesn’t understand it. But Melon and Paul are family, even if they are an odd sort of family, and through them Mayhew effectively conveys the idea that family comes in all shapes and sizes.
The central theme in this book is loss of innocence and the idea that both Melon and her mother Maria grow up too quickly. It was quite difficult to watch Melon’s childhood be taken away from her because of her mother’s death, and the same goes for her mother when she falls pregnant with Melon at the age of fourteen. The novel also, obviously enough, deals with the theme of death and how we come to terms with the death of a loved one. This is one of the most accurate depictions of grief and loss I’ve ever read, and I felt a deep sense of sympathy with Melon as she struggles to come to terms with her mothers death.
The story has an intentional and very effective fairytale quality which I absolutely loved. The narrative is punctuated by the story ( The Story ) Maria tells Melon, about her childhood in Greece, Melon’s father and how Maria came to London. The story is told in third person and narrated like a fairytale, which gave it a mysterious quality which greatly contrasted with the gritty realism of the rest of the novel. Through this “fairy tale”, Mayhew deals with the idea of truth, and how we bend and manipulate it in order to protect our loved ones, ( I hope that’s not a spoiler).
Red Ink also deals with the highly controversial and current topic of body image. It is safe to say that Melon, like most teenage girls, does not have a positive body image. She constantly compares herself to her mother and her peers, something we are told not to do, but we do it anyway. One of the best extracts of prose I have ever read about this topic was in this novel. It was when Melon ( and Mayhew of course ) finally put into words what I had felt all through my teen years. We know it is unhealthy to pick out flaws in ourselves, and unkind to do do in others. But we can’t help ourselves and sometimes the only way to feel better about our flat chest or big thighs is to pick out and criticise someone elses frizzy hair or muffin top. It’s not good, but it is a part of the teenage mindset, and I feel Mayhew really hit the nail on the head in this paragraph. (It’s p.169 if you have the same copy as me.)
I have a few tiny problems to pedantically complain about for a second. The novel is very slow to begin with, and it didn’t hold my attention to begin with. It took me a good few tries to settle into it. Similarly, the plot is told in a non linear fashion, flashing backward and forward around the death of Melon’s mother. I found that this made it very difficult to follow the plot, especially because Melon’s character changes so much over the course of the story that it sometimes felt that there were two different characters narrating.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking read and I highly recommend it to lovers of YA contemporary books. You will not regret reading this!!
Five Stars *****
Here's a link to my blog for more reviews !!!
July 11, 2013
There's a strange sort of poetry in sadness. The poetics of grief, if you will. Think about it. When sadness, darkness, pain hits us, it hits hard. We feel it. It's an almost physical impact, this great black nothing that swings out of nowhere and makes us fall out of the rythm of our daily lives. And when it's fallen, when we're stumbling round in our grief and our hurt, we're lost because our world doesn't make sense any more. Yesterday, it did. Yesterday it was perfect.
But today, it does not.
And so, in this today world, this grief-tinged pain-filled world, we see things differently because we do not understand them. Our grief consumes us. Makes us unable to see straight.
Makes us blind.
Mayhew's extraodinary novel is quite something. It's full of this jarring, beautiful poetic prose that captures the heightened impact of pain so very well. Her voice is something else. Soothing, scared, hopeful, lost, quite often all at once.
This is the story of Melon Fouraki and the day her mum died. But it's also about the before, flitting backwards throughout her own story and then, gloriously, soaring into her mother's story. This is the story of Melon, true, but it's also a story about story. About the way words connect us to each other, about the way sometimes words can come true, and about the way words sometimes dance around the truth and hide away in the shadows.
This is such a graceful, artful book. It's one of those that sort of isn't just about the story. It's about how it's put together, about how it is a story, and it's so very good. I loved this. I cried, hugely, gapingly, at it, and I was so hugely impressed when I finished it.
But today, it does not.
And so, in this today world, this grief-tinged pain-filled world, we see things differently because we do not understand them. Our grief consumes us. Makes us unable to see straight.
Makes us blind.
Mayhew's extraodinary novel is quite something. It's full of this jarring, beautiful poetic prose that captures the heightened impact of pain so very well. Her voice is something else. Soothing, scared, hopeful, lost, quite often all at once.
This is the story of Melon Fouraki and the day her mum died. But it's also about the before, flitting backwards throughout her own story and then, gloriously, soaring into her mother's story. This is the story of Melon, true, but it's also a story about story. About the way words connect us to each other, about the way sometimes words can come true, and about the way words sometimes dance around the truth and hide away in the shadows.
This is such a graceful, artful book. It's one of those that sort of isn't just about the story. It's about how it's put together, about how it is a story, and it's so very good. I loved this. I cried, hugely, gapingly, at it, and I was so hugely impressed when I finished it.
June 27, 2015
I didn't really feel like this book had much direction. I don't know if that makes sense, but there was very little momentum to it, nothing really motivating me to keep reading.
It was also littered with cliches which was very off-putting. Apart from that the writing was ok, but the cliched descriptions just didn't work at all and were a distraction.
I liked that it was centred around a different culture (Greek) but the foreign vocabulary was used in too much excess for me, with very little effort made to translate. This led to it becoming increasingly less appealing and more confusing.
Throughout, I didn't really understand the POINT of the book. The characters were very difficult to relate to for me, although this may be different for another reader.
It wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but I could have quite easily lived my life without reading this book. If that makes sense.
It was also littered with cliches which was very off-putting. Apart from that the writing was ok, but the cliched descriptions just didn't work at all and were a distraction.
I liked that it was centred around a different culture (Greek) but the foreign vocabulary was used in too much excess for me, with very little effort made to translate. This led to it becoming increasingly less appealing and more confusing.
Throughout, I didn't really understand the POINT of the book. The characters were very difficult to relate to for me, although this may be different for another reader.
It wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but I could have quite easily lived my life without reading this book. If that makes sense.
February 11, 2013
There's certainly never a good time to lose your mother, but when you're not yet sixteen and you've never known your father, it can't be one of the best. Melon is a troubled and troubling girl, but a highly engaging and often funny teenager. There's a hopefulness here, and a battling instinct that never gets lost - this is partly a story about a rite of passage, partly one of survival. Julie Mayhew's deftness of touch keeps a dark story moving, stops it from being gloomy. Very highly recommended read.
December 4, 2013
One of those coming off age stories, where teenager find out their life has been based on less..
Good start, killing off one of main characters at beginning, and going from there.
Likeable.
Good start, killing off one of main characters at beginning, and going from there.
Likeable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2017
DNF. Fifty pages in, I just wasn't feeling anything, and didn't warm to Melon or her voice.
October 10, 2021
I chose a five star rating because it was a pretty good book. The start of the book was a little slow but it got better the farther I got. I think that the climax was in the beginning of the story and it was also near the end of the story. The main character struggles a lot with herself and others, this made reading the book very interesting to read. The author did a great job with all of the characters in the book.
I decided to choose the five stars because the book kept me tied in. The author was very descriptive with her words. I could easily pay attention to what was going on in the book and know what the author meant in certain parts. I had read what the book was going to be about and it caught my attention that this girls mother was hit by a bus.
My favorite quote can be found on page 233, "Me and the Minotaur: we are both freaks." I chose this quote because I sort of thought it was funny. This guy that she just met got her a birthday present and it was this heavy piece of bronze that was a Minotaur. She had said that she was a freak (even though she isn't). Melon shows that she is not confident about herself, this stuck out to me because people in general do not have very much confidence, even though they should.
At the very beginning of the book a recipe is written and it is part of the Story. Melons mother got hit by a bus, and Melon can't get away from social worker they are everywhere. She has to spend a lot of time at the Lacey's which she does not enjoy because they are very weird. Everyone was being nice to the girl that just lost her mother and she absolutely hates it. She is spending the day with the Lacey's and she goes and steals some of their money and goes to chop all of her hair off. Paul(her step dad) comes back to the house with Maria's(her mother) ashes. They end up going to Crete to spread the ashes and they have to spread them in the ocean because Maria's family did not want her ashes on the melon farm.
This book explores grief, anger, coming of age, and I should say some happiness. Grief would have to be the most obvious one because Melon has no family in her everyday life. Melon shows a lot of anger toward the people in her life, especially the ones that are trying to help her. She really looks forward to her sixteenth birthday because that means she will become an adult. She shows very little happiness throughout the book, near the end she shows a lot of happiness.
I decided to choose the five stars because the book kept me tied in. The author was very descriptive with her words. I could easily pay attention to what was going on in the book and know what the author meant in certain parts. I had read what the book was going to be about and it caught my attention that this girls mother was hit by a bus.
My favorite quote can be found on page 233, "Me and the Minotaur: we are both freaks." I chose this quote because I sort of thought it was funny. This guy that she just met got her a birthday present and it was this heavy piece of bronze that was a Minotaur. She had said that she was a freak (even though she isn't). Melon shows that she is not confident about herself, this stuck out to me because people in general do not have very much confidence, even though they should.
At the very beginning of the book a recipe is written and it is part of the Story. Melons mother got hit by a bus, and Melon can't get away from social worker they are everywhere. She has to spend a lot of time at the Lacey's which she does not enjoy because they are very weird. Everyone was being nice to the girl that just lost her mother and she absolutely hates it. She is spending the day with the Lacey's and she goes and steals some of their money and goes to chop all of her hair off. Paul(her step dad) comes back to the house with Maria's(her mother) ashes. They end up going to Crete to spread the ashes and they have to spread them in the ocean because Maria's family did not want her ashes on the melon farm.
This book explores grief, anger, coming of age, and I should say some happiness. Grief would have to be the most obvious one because Melon has no family in her everyday life. Melon shows a lot of anger toward the people in her life, especially the ones that are trying to help her. She really looks forward to her sixteenth birthday because that means she will become an adult. She shows very little happiness throughout the book, near the end she shows a lot of happiness.
March 22, 2017
Very enjoyable. I have recently read Julie Mayhew's 'Mother Tongue' which I liked, probably because there are not many books written in English for teenagers which are set in Beslan.
I loved Melon's anger, her fury at the fact that her mother and her family were not 'normal' and the problems this caused her at school. My mother died when I was 10 years old, so the feeling that other people are dancing around the subject, not talking honestly and directly about what has happened was a feeling I remember clearly, also the temptation to shock them by not reacting in what might be called 'an acceptable ' way.
I also like the fact that the story is not a 'start at the beginning, then proceed in steady steps to the end' construction, but that the reader has to work a bit to sort out what is happening when. Interesting and thought-provoking. I will now try and find something else by Julie Mayhew.
I loved Melon's anger, her fury at the fact that her mother and her family were not 'normal' and the problems this caused her at school. My mother died when I was 10 years old, so the feeling that other people are dancing around the subject, not talking honestly and directly about what has happened was a feeling I remember clearly, also the temptation to shock them by not reacting in what might be called 'an acceptable ' way.
I also like the fact that the story is not a 'start at the beginning, then proceed in steady steps to the end' construction, but that the reader has to work a bit to sort out what is happening when. Interesting and thought-provoking. I will now try and find something else by Julie Mayhew.
July 6, 2021
Okay, so I really liked this book once I got into it. It did take me a little bit of time, just to get used to the time jumps and figuring out like what 'The Story' was, but once I did I really liked it. I haven't ever gone through what Melon went through, so I can't judge the accuracy of that part of the story, but it felt really well written. I don't think that I would ever re-read this book, I think that there were some surprising parts (like when Paul tells the version of The Story that Maria told him and its like completely different from the one that Melon heard). That being said I did enjoy it and read like half of it in one sitting so theres that. One last thing, I did like how the name of the book ended up being explained (that isn't the right word) but like I realized the significance of it half way through the book which made me fill happy and fulfilled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2019
I thought the ending of this book was disappointing... until I looked back and realized that it was perhaps the best way to end. This book is all about letting go of a loss and moving on. The main character struggles to accept her mother's death because she believes she was the cause of it. In the process of moving on, the main character goes through many emotional roadblocks to find out the truth behind her mother's stories. The ending really brought back that there are no such things as good endings because you have to make that decision yourself. It is about working hard with what you have and how to learn from those challenges.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2020
it was okay, it kinda glamourised teen pregnancy ngl and also the mum was mad lenient, she was too ungrateful to that fact about "i want a mum not a best friend" i beggg, go away kmtt. i felt like she complained too much okay if ur name is melon - peakkk, change the ting to like melody or suttin and tell everyone to call you melody and if they dont poke their eyes out - kidding, just dont tolerate. i liked the flashback stories A LOT, like the contrast from what she was told and the acc story was a mazza, the mum is a mad one still but nonetheless, they could have had such a nice healthy relationship but due to jealousy and internalised anger that couldnt work
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2018
Picked this up for fifty cents because the first few pages had a nice poetry. The book is well-written and strikes an interesting balance between gritty/real and poetic/idealized. It didn't completely work for me. Halfway through I just skimmed to the the ending, which felt contrived and regrettable. I'm probably going to forget all about this book in a month. To be fair, this sort of thing isn't my genre (I'm more the positive fantasy/SF type), so it didn't have much of a chance.
August 21, 2023
While I definitely enjoyed this book, and it had tons of positive aspects, I was really close to rating it only 3 stars. The main reason for this was the epilogue -
However, there were a lot of redeeming factors. I initially hated the way the book swapped between time periods, but it was really well done and made both the story and The Story more engaging. I loved the way Julie Mayhew wrote. Melon's colloquial way of speaking didn't diminish her intelligence at all. Her portrayal of grieving for someone you had a complicated relationship with was almost perfect. Despite the book's flaws, it was a great read that I definitely loved.
However, there were a lot of redeeming factors. I initially hated the way the book swapped between time periods, but it was really well done and made both the story and The Story more engaging. I loved the way Julie Mayhew wrote. Melon's colloquial way of speaking didn't diminish her intelligence at all. Her portrayal of grieving for someone you had a complicated relationship with was almost perfect. Despite the book's flaws, it was a great read that I definitely loved.
August 29, 2024
wow. this book is criminally underrated..
MUST READDDDD.
also, I almost missed the details on the book cover 🥹 I think it's on all the books but if it's not, well, there are few "images/icons" on the cover that you are only able to see from a certain angle that quite literally summarises the book.
I'll definitely be thinking about this book when I go to sleep tonight
agapoula mou, peristeraki mou
MUST READDDDD.
also, I almost missed the details on the book cover 🥹 I think it's on all the books but if it's not, well, there are few "images/icons" on the cover that you are only able to see from a certain angle that quite literally summarises the book.
I'll definitely be thinking about this book when I go to sleep tonight
agapoula mou, peristeraki mou
November 28, 2018
It’s the first book in this genre I have read and it’ll be the last. Although the blurb sounded quite interesting I couldn’t really get into the story, I found it quite hard to follow. The relationship between mother and daughter just seemed strange to me for example {when melon asked her mother why she called her melon and she just laughed} it’s not something you expect.
June 28, 2021
part one was just not enjoyable. i couldn't connect with the character and wasn't enjoying reading this. but by part 2 i actually started to like it, that is til the ending. not a fan of how this characters story ended. sorry but i wasnt a fan
January 19, 2018
An honest novel which I enjoied and believed. Some moments made me feel worried sick due to the clean, warm writing I was admiring from the beginning to the end of the book.
May 28, 2018
A really good book enjoyed reading it but the ending was too predictable.
March 30, 2019
I liked this book because it felt very realistic and it was just an okay book in general.
June 26, 2019
An easy read. I was a bit disappointed with the ending (predictable) but it was an ok book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2020
4.90
I loved this book
I loved this book
April 8, 2021
It was a good read. Forgot to bring it back to my school library so I still have it now. I would say it is quite cliche but still enjoyable.
April 12, 2021
Where do lies end and the truth begin?
A tender, sad story of a girl searching for her roots and finding herself.
A tender, sad story of a girl searching for her roots and finding herself.
September 8, 2021
Bit of a slow start but enjoyed one got into it. Ending of girl having a baby like her mother and meeting family again seemed a bit too cliched and all tied up but overall enjoyed the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 9, 2022
Trigger & Content Warnings
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother in a bus accident
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother in a bus accident
April 30, 2023
This book was exquisitely beautiful to me.
I read it while camping and literally laughed out loud at the fire because her inner dialogue is hillerious.
I devoured the book and it left me in tears. Please do read it, it's amazing.
I read it while camping and literally laughed out loud at the fire because her inner dialogue is hillerious.
I devoured the book and it left me in tears. Please do read it, it's amazing.
March 7, 2016
Check out my review over on my blog here!
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A huge thank you to HKB for sending me this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This was another novel I read back in the summer, but don't take my late posting of this review as a sign that I disliked this novel, quite the opposite. After finishing this novel, it was difficult to compose my thoughts on this novel without just word vomiting about how amazing and wonderful I think it is and how everyone should read it right now!!! So after a few months have passed, I'm composed enough to write my review in an orderly fashion. Mayhew's novel contains themes of love and loss, coming of age, rites of passage and family dynamic which are all executed perfectly. This emotional novel is very dark and gritty at times but is wholly and completely realistic and honest.
So firstly let me just briefly talk about the cover of this novel. I love the white around the edge and the watermarked symbols are so pretty but the cover model...does not look at all like how Melon is described in the novel. I found a little irritating that the model looks a lot older than fifteen year old Melon and also nothing like how the reader is led to picture her.
Red Ink contains such a strong and honest voiced narrator, the likes of which is unrivalled by any other contemporary YA novel I've read. Melon is such a strong protagonist with such a snarky and spunky protagonist that it's hard not to instantly wish she were your best friend. I felt a real connection to her character and felt as if I were going through her situation with her as she dealt with everything.
The plot of the novel was utterly captivating and memorable. I loved the format of the plot itself, from the chapter titles, e.g "35 Days Since", which created a suspense and excitement of the plot unfolding in the mind of the reader as they also joined in the countdown. I really liked the way Mayhew managed to weave "The Story" into the main plot of the book, allowing the alternation between the reader learning of Melon and the family past. I loved the plot from beginning to end, especially the layout of the plot pace so that the plot was slowly built up and information was given out slowly and therefore built up the suspense for the reader. There were so many twists and turns in this novel and I did not see any of them coming.
The relationships in this novel were extremely well written and achingly real. They displayed the bare honesty of relationships and friendships without sugar coating any gritty details. From fake friends, creating friendships, and the unusual family dynamic between Melon and Paul, her mothers social worker boyfriend, all are written with astounding realism by Mayhew. Every single character in this novel from Melon, Paul, Chick & her mum, to Melon's Mother, all leap off the page and are so fully three dimensional.
Julie Mayhew is a new author to me as I've never read anything else she has written, but honestly after this novel, any YA book she brings out will be on my immediate buy and read list. I loved how much research she put into perfecting this novel. Whereas other authors may put in the minimum required research for writing their story, I feel like Julie Mayhew went above and beyond and really devoted herself to researching Crete, Greece and the social worker practise. This obvious research really added to the novel and made it all feel so real and alive for the reader.
Mayhew's writing style was a breath of fresh air. Her writing style drew me into the story of the novel and connected me to it on a level I don't often experience. Mayhew's thoughtful and poetic writing makes the reader think and reflect while also connecting them wholly to the novel. The dialogue was entertaining, and humorous at times and a joy to read.
The setting of the novel from the busy, gritty London to the scenic, hot Crete were so vivid. The settings presented in the novel were so strong and have definitely resonated with me over time. Mayhew's descriptions of places and shops and people bring the setting to life in the mind of the reader.
This novel contained one of the realest and most brutally honest descriptions of secondary school, friendship, grief and loss, and sex that I've ever read. There was such a brilliant sense of gritty realism to this novel that really made it stand out from other contemporary YA novels I've read. This novel really resonated with me and I doubt I will be forgetting its story anytime soon. I would definitely, and hope to once my TBR pile dies down, re-read this novel again and again.
I can not recommend this novel enough, please pick it up.
----
A huge thank you to HKB for sending me this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This was another novel I read back in the summer, but don't take my late posting of this review as a sign that I disliked this novel, quite the opposite. After finishing this novel, it was difficult to compose my thoughts on this novel without just word vomiting about how amazing and wonderful I think it is and how everyone should read it right now!!! So after a few months have passed, I'm composed enough to write my review in an orderly fashion. Mayhew's novel contains themes of love and loss, coming of age, rites of passage and family dynamic which are all executed perfectly. This emotional novel is very dark and gritty at times but is wholly and completely realistic and honest.
So firstly let me just briefly talk about the cover of this novel. I love the white around the edge and the watermarked symbols are so pretty but the cover model...does not look at all like how Melon is described in the novel. I found a little irritating that the model looks a lot older than fifteen year old Melon and also nothing like how the reader is led to picture her.
Red Ink contains such a strong and honest voiced narrator, the likes of which is unrivalled by any other contemporary YA novel I've read. Melon is such a strong protagonist with such a snarky and spunky protagonist that it's hard not to instantly wish she were your best friend. I felt a real connection to her character and felt as if I were going through her situation with her as she dealt with everything.
The plot of the novel was utterly captivating and memorable. I loved the format of the plot itself, from the chapter titles, e.g "35 Days Since", which created a suspense and excitement of the plot unfolding in the mind of the reader as they also joined in the countdown. I really liked the way Mayhew managed to weave "The Story" into the main plot of the book, allowing the alternation between the reader learning of Melon and the family past. I loved the plot from beginning to end, especially the layout of the plot pace so that the plot was slowly built up and information was given out slowly and therefore built up the suspense for the reader. There were so many twists and turns in this novel and I did not see any of them coming.
The relationships in this novel were extremely well written and achingly real. They displayed the bare honesty of relationships and friendships without sugar coating any gritty details. From fake friends, creating friendships, and the unusual family dynamic between Melon and Paul, her mothers social worker boyfriend, all are written with astounding realism by Mayhew. Every single character in this novel from Melon, Paul, Chick & her mum, to Melon's Mother, all leap off the page and are so fully three dimensional.
Julie Mayhew is a new author to me as I've never read anything else she has written, but honestly after this novel, any YA book she brings out will be on my immediate buy and read list. I loved how much research she put into perfecting this novel. Whereas other authors may put in the minimum required research for writing their story, I feel like Julie Mayhew went above and beyond and really devoted herself to researching Crete, Greece and the social worker practise. This obvious research really added to the novel and made it all feel so real and alive for the reader.
Mayhew's writing style was a breath of fresh air. Her writing style drew me into the story of the novel and connected me to it on a level I don't often experience. Mayhew's thoughtful and poetic writing makes the reader think and reflect while also connecting them wholly to the novel. The dialogue was entertaining, and humorous at times and a joy to read.
The setting of the novel from the busy, gritty London to the scenic, hot Crete were so vivid. The settings presented in the novel were so strong and have definitely resonated with me over time. Mayhew's descriptions of places and shops and people bring the setting to life in the mind of the reader.
This novel contained one of the realest and most brutally honest descriptions of secondary school, friendship, grief and loss, and sex that I've ever read. There was such a brilliant sense of gritty realism to this novel that really made it stand out from other contemporary YA novels I've read. This novel really resonated with me and I doubt I will be forgetting its story anytime soon. I would definitely, and hope to once my TBR pile dies down, re-read this novel again and again.
I can not recommend this novel enough, please pick it up.
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